Combination highway and railway transportation system



Sept. 3, was;

R. H. GELLATLY COMBINATION HIGHWAY AND RAILWAY TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM Filed May 28, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet l a Haber/ H. GeI/af/y M (I meg R. H. GELLATLY 2,013,345

COMBINATION HIGHWAY AND RAILWAY TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM Filed May 28, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 attorney P R. H. GELLATLY 2,013,345 COMBINATION HIGHWAY AND RAILWAY TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM Filed May 28, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 H C) 1 9 W0 0 mm Zhwentor (Ittorneg Patented Sept. 3, 1935 UNITED STATES COMBINATION HIGHWAY AND RAILWAY TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM 3 Claims.

My invention relates to a combination car that is adapted for railway transportation and for the hauling of motor vehicle trucks upon the railway tracks. The truck and railway car are 5 adapted for coacting with each other in order that the truck or trucks may self-propel themselves along the highways or by-roads and then be mounted and be attached thereto in order that the railway car may be impelled directly by the truck itself disposed thereupon and therein.

The invention is comprised of a standard, or specially built railway car having a ramp disposed at one, or both ends which may be used as an inclined entrance-way upon and over which a truck or trucks may be made to go in and enter upon and within the railway car. The railway car is preferably made, having side girders and a platform that is adapted for being raised and lowered between the girders in order that the trucks may be lowered within the girders and within the car to lower the center of the gravity of the car when the trucks are therein, means being. disposed Within the car to adapt the driv ing wheels of the truck and the driving mechanism of the truck for utilization in the driving of, the railway truck.

The primary object of my invention consists in providing a railway car or train of cars, adapted toreceive self -propelled motor vehicle trucks therein and thereupon in order that the truck may self-impel itself upon and within the car, whilein a heavily loaded condition, and thereafter be made to drive the railway car and be independently operated by the driver of the motor vehicle to provide a transportation unit for long haulltransportation that will not require the loading and unloading of the truck load, upon, or within the railway car, and simultaneously providea transportation unit to be used in conjunction with railway trackage for long hauls and to handle freight expeditiously, economically and with-freedom from delay.

A further object of my invention consists in providingia unit that will facilitate the coordination of. motor vehicle and railway transportation, that will'be flexible and adapted to meet the rapidly growing use of motor vehicles for short hauls, or

for'relatively long hauls and to-utilize the railway trackage and make thesame available as a coordinated unit with the motor truck transportation.

A still further object of my invention consists in providing a railway car that may be used in railway service and also be used as anindependent unittthatwill be self-propelled' and be self-operated by a motor vehicle truck, when placed thereupon.

And a still further object of my invention consists in providing a railway car unit that will become a locomotive and pull other railway cars by a loaded truck when placed upon the railway car of my invention.

With these and incidental objects in View, the invention consists in certain novel features of. construction and. combination of parts, the essential elements of which are set forth in the appended claims, and a preferred form of embodiment of which is hereinafter shown with reference to the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side view of one of my new and improved railway cars and illustrating two trucks being disposed thereupon.

Fig. 2 is a sectional, side view of the railway car and trucks, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, sectional, side view of a portion of the truck of the railway car, the drive as disposed between the motor vehicle and the driven axle.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, sectional, side view of the railway truck wheels and bolster, and illustrating the drive leading thereto.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, sectional, end view, of the motor vehicle, shown in use for driving the railway car. In this instance the truck is shown as being resting upon a pair of jacks. This view is taken on line 55 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, sectional, plan view,

of the railway trucks and of the driving mechanism leading from the driving axle of the motor vehicle truck to the driven axle of the railway car.

Fig. 7- is a fragmentary, sectional, end view of the raising and lowering mechanism disposedbetween the platform and the girders of the railway car. This view is taken on line l-'! of Fig. 6, looking in the direction indicated.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary, sectional, plan view, of the drive that is adapted for transferring the drive from the driving axle of the motor vehicle truck to the driving spindle and sprocket disposed upon the railway car.

Fig. 9 is a plan view, of the spindle and splined shaft that transfers the power from the driving axleof the motor vehicle to the spindle and drivi'ng'sprocket disposed upon the railway car.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary, sectional, side view, of a modified form of drive, wherein the motor truck wheels are placed upon a pair of driving rollers that contact with and drive the wheel of the railway car.

Fig. 11 is an end view of the form of drive, as illustrated in Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary, plan view, partially in section of the driving rollers, as illustrated in end view Fig. 10.

Fig. 13 is a sectional, side view, of the link mechanism for connecting the rollers upon which the driving wheels of the motor vehicle rest while driving the rollers. The same is taken on line [3-43 of Fig. 12, looking in the direction indicated.

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary, sectional, side view, of one of the rollers upon which the driving wheel of the motor vehicle rests, made to illustrate the bearing disposed between the roller and the axle.

Fig. 15 'is a side View of one of the specially built railway cars, illustrating entry and exit ramps disposed at the oppositely disposed ends of the railway car.

Fig. 16 is a side View, of a modified form of car in which the motor trucks are entirely enclosedwithin a car.

Fig. 17 is a diagrammatical, sectional, side View of the railway car in which the same is adapted for being driven from either end by the motor vehicle truck, as particularly illustrated in Fig. 10.

Fig. 18 is a still further modified form of drive disposed between the driving axle of the motor vehicle and the driving wheel of the railway car and in which coacting gears and shafts are disposed between the driving axle of the truck and the driven axle of the railway car.

Fig. 19 is a fragmentary, side view, of the railway car, made to illustrate in side View the drive, as illustrated in sectional, plan view, in Fig. 18.

Fig. 20 is a diagrammatical, side view of one end of the railway car illustrating the driving wheels of the automotive truck disposed upon the rollers, or drums, the drums, or rollers being coupled together. A chain drive is associated with the drums and an independent chain drive leads therefrom to a sprocket disposed upon the axle of the railway car.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views. 7

My invention is comprised of one, or more cars. The cars are preferably comprised of side girders I and 2. The side girders have railway trucks 3 and 4 mounted in their respective ends. Horizontally disposed platforms 5 and 6 secure the girders together and form a housing and top cover for the wheels comprising the trucks of the railway car.

Draw bars I and 8 are secured to the platfor assembly to adapt the railway car for being moved in a train of railway cars in the usual manner. 'A platform 9 is disposed between the trucks. The platform is comprised of cross beams and a deck cover.

A plurality of knees Ill .extend upwardly from the cross girders and the knees are secured to the cross girders by stiffening gussets H. A bracket l2 extends outwardly from the respective knees and, a jack, as a hydraulic jack is, is disposed within the side girders. The base it of the jack rests upon the base of the girders and is secured thereto by a bolt I5, or other suitable fastening.

The rim l6 of the jack rests upon the under side of the bracket l2. The energizing of the jacks raises the knees and the associated platform assembly.

The primary purpose and object of raising and lowering the platform to provide suitable means for lowering the load within the car assembly and to lower the center of gravity of the car and the load being disposed therein.

I provide ramps H and H3 at the oppositely disposed ends of the car to facilitate the driving of the motor vehicle trucks upon and within and the removal of the automotive trucks from the railway car.

The platform 9 is raised so that the top surface of the platform will be substantially in line with the top of the railway truck covers 5 and 6 during the loading and the unloading of the automotive trucks from the railway car.

During the transporting of the railway car with the trucks thereupon, the platform, upon which the automotive trucks ride, is lowered. Upon the delivery of the automotive truck upon the platform the automotive trucks are precisely positioned in order that the trucks may be placed over the lifting jacks l9 and 26. The jacks l9 and 2e are preferably made to engage the rear axle housing 2! of the automotive truck.

After the automotive trucks have been delivered upon and within the railway car, and the platform 9 has been positioned into placement, the heads 22 and 23, secured to the spindles 24 and 25, as illustrated in Fig. 9 are secured, by any suitable attaching means to the driving hubs 26 and 21 of the driving axle of the automobile trucks. The spindles 24 and 25 are slidably disposed within the sleeves 28 and 29 to form a driving shaft when assembled.

Spiders 3t and 39 are secured to the hubs and 33 of the driving sprockets 34 and 35. The hubs are mounted upon any suitable anti-friction bearings and the bearings are disposed upon stub shafts, or spindles that are fixedly secured within the side girders l and 2. Any suitable driv ing chains 38 andtt are trained about the driving sprockets and the chains are also trained about driven sprockets 48 that are directly secured to opposite ends of the axle 42 of the railway car.

To exclude dust and dirt from the assembly,

one or more flexible collars 43 may beinterposed between the axle a2 and the gear case enclosing the sprockets and driving chains.

Referring to Figs. 10'to 17 inclusive, pairs of drums, or rollers 46 and 41 may be disposed f transversely of the platform 9. Axles 49 and 50 are disposed longitudinally of each of the drums, or rollers and an anti-friction bearing 5| is disposed between the shell of. the drum, or roller, and the axle, and a head 52 is disposed within each end of the drums, or rollers, to precisely position the axle and bearing therein.

A driving drum 53 that is larger in diameter The driving wheels 59 and E0 of the automotive; truck are positioned directly upon'therespective drums, or rollers 46 and 41 and the railway car is impelled and driven through the contact'of the driving wheels of the automotive 'truckwith the drums, or rollers, through the drum disposed upon the axle of the automotive railway car.

'Referring to Fig. 18, I may take the power from the driving axle of the automotive truck and deliver the same through stub shafts 6i and 62, I mount worms 63 upon the stub shafts. The worms coact with and drive worm gears 65. The respective worm gears are mounted upon shafts 61 and 68. Speed reducers are mounted upon the respective shafts 6! and 68 and the out-put end of the speed reducers delivers power through clutches 69 and l and through suitable sleeve and shaft connections to the axle H of the railway car. The respective worms and worm gears and the associated shafts are mounted within suitable housings 12 and 13.

It may be found necessary, or desirable, to take the power from the rear wheels of the automotive truck and deliver the same to the axle of the railway car by mechanism, as illustrated in Fig. 20. When so made, the drums 14 and 15 upon which the driving wheels of the automotive truck normally rest are spaced apart and suitable sprockets are placed upon the shafts of the drum-s. I place a, driving chain 16 therearound to deliver the power generated by the drums to the axle 11 through any suitable driving mechanism, as a chain 18.

While the form of mechanism herein shown and described is admirably adapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form of embodiment herein shown and described, as it is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What I claim is: r

1. In a railway car of the class described, comprising a track engaging truck at each of its ends, a pair of spaced parallel girders forming the main body of the car and embracing both of said trucks, platforms secured between the girders at both of their ends and disposed above and terminating at the ends of the trucks, an elongated floor platform extending substantially full length of the car between said trucks and forming the major portion of the floor of the car, parallel side walls extending upwardly from the floor platform, and means interposed between said side walls of the floor platform and said girders of the railway car for lifting and lowering the floor platform out of and into its normal lowered position,

2. In a, railway car of the class described, having track engaging trucks at each of its ends and a removable motor vehicle disposed upon said car, a pair of spaced parallel girders disposed at each side of the trucks and connected thereto, a, vertically movable platform disposed between the girders and between the trucks and forming the major portion of the floor of the railway car, side walls disposed longitudinally of the platform and connected thereto, means interposed between the girders and the walls of the vertically movable platform for lifting and lowering said platform, means associated with said platform for raising the power transmitting end of the motor vehicle upon the platform, means for transmitting power from power transmitting end of motor vehicle to trucks of the railway car for propulsion of said car.

3. In a railway car of the class described, having a removable motor vehicle disposed thereupon, a vertically movable floor platform disposed between the trucks and between the side walls of the railway car, a plurality of jacks interposed between floor platform and railway car for vertically moving the floor platform, a pair of jacks disposed upon the floor platform for raising the power transmitting end of the motor vehicle disposed thereupon, driving sprockets disposed within the side walls of the railway car, splined driving spindles interposed between power transmitting end of motor vehicle and the driving sprockets, driven sprockets disposed upon both ends of axle in railway car trucks, and a driving chain operatively connecting the driving sprockets disposed within the side walls of the railway car and the driven sprockets disposed upon the axle of the railway car truck.

ROBERT H. GELLA'ILY. 

